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  • Writer's pictureBelinda Keyte

Research Week 5: Celebrity Culture

Updated: Aug 28, 2021

Although I still maintain this project is not about celebrity culture, nor the gap between the public perception and the real lives of 'celebrities', the topic...or phenomenom greatly interests me. Popular culture as a phenomenom interests me. Whilst studying Architecture I did a (research) project on McDonalds. Not the design, the phenomenom. Even though I never ate this food. Whilst doing an artist residency in Tokyo I became intrigued with the 'icons'. Teenage popstars that pretty much make their money doing 'meet & greets' with middle-aged men. The men spending the bulk of their income on this 'hobby'.


The sociological view is that the celebrities work is inconsequential. Indeed! Sometimes they dont even make work. And here it's worth pointing out I only know what I know of the recipients of the letters in my project because of their work....or industry anyway.


Anyway, this article by Kristine Harmon is kind of a catalogue of books, writings, films and texts that comment on 'celebrity'....even if it's a biography.


I don't quite understand what Diana Negra means when she says that it is 'one of the most devalued forms of social knowledge' even though 'it is a form of knowledge that we all possess, often with a high degree of expertise'??


Notoriety or 'a kind of 'pathalogical fame'' is touched on. Where fame separates from the actual figure and becomes pure representation. Yet this is true in many disciplines...or areas of study. Most notably, religion.


Its a very interesting idea to me that fame, whilst probably harmful for fame-seekers, our 'democratised' quest for fame indicates a 'successful' society.


In the case studies section Harmon brings up how the gap between the fictional contexts and the real life is an indication of social institutions, gender, commodification, identity and celebrity itself. I think the visual arts, particularly photography, has a strong community of practitioners situated in this area.


Anyway, Georges-Claude Guilbert's book Madonna as Postmodern Myth: How One Stars Self-contruction Rewrites Sex, Gender, Hollywood and the American Dream makes me want to read it just because of the title. I'm sold!


I get a bit bored when we move on to Berger and Baudrillard and how contemporary society no longer contains the real but 'packages meaning and achieves interaction only through the exchange of representation'. I've always felt these old white guys are so outdated, how can they comment on contemporary society? That's a simplification. I take umbrage with a lot of their views so my mind puts her fingers in her ears and just goes 'lalalala....not listening...' And every single lecturer Ive had has said, yeah but back in the day, there werent no other views....etc etc. We've moved on. Move your referencing on contemporary culture to, at least, our century, Please.


Lastly, Ive seen all the films listed. Not sure what that says about me except that I'd always intended that my next career, when I am no longer ambulatory, will be 'film & wine critic'. I reckon I'd add heaps to this list. Particularly 'Boogie Nights'. I would argue that Crow's 'Almost famous' is more a personal memoir about / lovesong to the time and place in rock and roll in which he began his career as rock journalist. What he loves about music and why he got into the industry. But whatever. Great introduction to this area of study.

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